Just As I Am
by Lady Monozuki
Summary: Without and questions, Ryoma was brought into the house of a former rival. He didn't have to explain what had happened. It was a temporary home, one he didn't know could exist. Pairing: Yukimura/Ryoma.
1. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis.**

**Lady Monozuki:** Huzzah for a new story! This idea came to me a little while ago, but I finally got it down to the point where I'm satisfied. It took many, many rewrites, but here it is! I hope you all enjoy! The pairing for this story is undecided! I will take suggestions as to who Echizen should end up with.

Beaten and broken. It was an all too familiar state for him. No matter how many times he got stronger, it was not enough. Nothing was ever good enough to surpass the legend set before him. No matter how many times he tried, the shadow that he could never shed cast him down and tried to destroy who he was. Every day he fought to stay alive, not be stifled, or even forgotten. He had worked so hard and desperately to escape the smothering air around him. There were days that he wanted to give up, but he was Echizen Ryoma. His pride did not allow him to get up. Even with that said, there were still times when the thought crossed his mind.

Then he realized that it would be what the man, who shocked the world before him, wanted. If he gave up, he would be proving everything that the old man had said about him. There would be no chance for him to supersede the legendary Samurai Nanjiroh. Forever would he be in the shadow of the man who degraded him and turned his life into a living hell.

Those who thought that being a legend's child knew nothing of the life that he endured. All they saw was the fame, extraordinary skills, and uncanny likeness to his father. The skills, the arrogance, and the look were all similar to his father's. In many aspects, they were different, but those who knew what Samurai Nanjiroh was only saw a brat trying to copy his old man. To his father, they were nowhere near good enough to be number one in the entire world. No matter how many times he dominated the courts and brought home medals from tournaments, they were worthless. They might as well been given to a corpse for all they value they held. On most days, Echizen Ryoma felt like a corpse.

All he did was repetitive. Even if there were new moves thrown in there, it was still not enough for his father. _He_ was not good enough. Everything that he had done was an embarrassment to his old man. Every day, he was reminded of how little he had accomplished. While his triumphs had not gone unnoticed, they were often criticized by die-hard Echizen Nanjiroh fans and of course, his father.

A slap resounded in the living room. His mother and cousin turned around and left the room. His father stood in front of him, shaking with anger. The stinging sensation from his cheek brought tears to his eyes. He wouldn't cry, he had never cried before. This was no different from the other days. His father hit him again. The process repeated itself, but eventually moved to other parts of his body. Nothing was safe from his father's wrath.

"You are a disgrace!" his father shouted at him. "You are worthless. You can't measure up to anything that I've done and you are still _trying_ to make a name for yourself. You're pathetic. I have done everything that I could to help you, but you have done nothing to try and excel. You're just a no good, lazy, disrespectful, brat!"

Somehow, his father had gotten a hold of a tennis racket and was now beating on him with that. He didn't try to block the blows since it would only serve to agitate his father more. If he took his punishment without saying or doing anything, then it would be over sooner. Every blow to his body hurt, but he was not going to break. He was not going to show that he was weak. Ryoma tried to block out the words his father shouted. Each one of them stung, but he couldn't let them become the truth that defined him. Even if he had to put up with this every day, he would not let that keep him from trying. His dream had always been the same. He wasn't going to let anyone take that away from him. Not now, he was so close to achieving his goal.

"Get out, you smug bastard!" his father shouted. "Get out of this house right now!"

It was the same routine. After they had fights like this, his father would kick him out for a few minutes before letting him back in. Despite all the harsh words exchanged, he knew that his parents needed him still. If they thought that he didn't know they were using him, he did. However, this time it seemed different. His father chased him out of the house, throwing his bloodied tennis racket as well.

Ryoma sat there and waited. It would only be an hour before they brought him inside once again. All he had to do was wait for them and it would all be over soon. They would fall into the old routine and eventually, he would leave this miserable life behind. During this time, he often dwelled on his plans for the future and everything that he still wanted to accomplish. He had to keep holding on and make it through.

"Get the hell off my property, brat! I'll call the police and make them haul your sorry ass to jail!" his father shouted from the window.

He stared up at his old man in shock. He stood and took his racket with him. Maybe if he disappeared for one night, they would let him back. He would come back tomorrow. Ryoma walked with no direction, straight into the heart of town. Even though it was starting to get dark, there were still many people on the streets. Many avoided him, but no one asked if he was all right. He knew he looked a mess and he didn't expect anyone to want to get involved with him. However, he secretly hoped that _one_ person would extend kindness to him.

Maybe then, he would gain the strength to continue. No matter how many times he was beaten, it would give him the courage to fight. Instead of feeling like no one cared for him, there would be hope for tomorrow. Would there even be a new morning for him? Even he couldn't answer that question. Right now, he couldn't even see the light of the dawn. Everything was shrouded and suffocating. His legs gave out and he collapsed in the street. All he could hear were the demeaning and profane words his father had shouted at him.

What if his father was right about everything that he'd done so far? Could he live while knowing that every endeavor was fruitless and just another futile attempt? Was his life that pathetic?

A gentle voice penetrated his thoughts, "Echizen-san?".

He tried to ignore the call, but it kept growing more persistent. Ryoma looked up to see the face of someone who had once mocked him. Concern wore itself on the features of the pretty blue-haired person in front of him. However, he didn't know why someone would be concerned over him. He was nothing but a failure in the eyes of his father.

"Echizen-san," the person called once more. "Are you all right?"

_How can I be all right when my body is bruised and my life broken?_

"Yukimura-san," he whispered before everything went dark.


	2. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.**

Lady Monozuki: I am going on vacation in a couple of days and didn't want to leave you all without an update. So here is the next chapter! I hope you all enjoy very much! Thank you everyone who reviewed. The pairing for this story is now Yukimura/Ryoma.

Ryoma opened his eyes and immediately shut them again. His head hurt like the rest of his body. The stabbing pain and achy feel coursed through his limbs. Right now, he wanted to fall back asleep, but his brain was alert. How long had he been out? Where was he? What had happened? He attentively opened his eyes and allowed time for them to adjust to the light. The silence of the room was unnerving. There was never a moment of peace and quiet in his house. Every day was the same occurrence.

He sat up, gritting his teeth in pain. His father had really done a good job in beating him this time. After getting used to the throbbing pain, he looked around the room. It was unfamiliar to him. The look was more like a home to someone, rather than a hotel. He tried to think who would do something like that for him. No one had ever cared before, so why should they care now? Ever since Nationals, he was merely an outcast. Occasionally, there would be an invite to burgers and arcades. However, they were far and few between.

"Ah, Echizen-san, you're finally awake," someone said.

He turned his head. When had someone entered the room? He had been sure that no one was in the room before. Ryoma took in the familiar face. Somewhere, it registered that this was the person who had saved him. He remembered the blue hair and soft voice.

"Yukimura-san," he whispered. The name had just rolled off his tongue. It took him an additional thirty seconds to connect that this was the person he had played for the National championship just a few months ago. Why would someone that had been his rival previously want to help him out now of all times? After all, he took away their third victory. Not that he had regretted doing so, of course. It just seemed strange that he would take care of him after all that they had been through.

"I asked my parents if you could stay here," Yukimura said. "They said that you could stay as long as you needed."

He didn't say anything in response to that. He wondered how much they knew and whether or not they had called his parents.

_Oh god, what if they did? Did they know what had happened that night?_

"Echizen-san," Yukimura whispered. "I don't know what's troubling you, but it doesn't matter. I don't know the circumstances or the story, but I want to let you know that I don't care. You are welcome to stay here. If you need anything, let me know."

"Why?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you take me off the street? You could have left me there, but you took me, why?"

"Because you needed help," Yukimura replied.

He looked at the person in front of him. It was the most genuine reply someone had ever given him. It was odd that a former rival would be more concerned about him than his own teammates. Was it because he was nothing more than a tool to his teammates? Did they not care about him or what happened to him as long as he brought good results? He knew they had seen the bruises and he knew that they had heard his oyaji yelling at him over the phone numerous times. So why did they ignore all of that? Why did the one person who should hate him the most take him in?

"I don't want to be indebted to you," Ryoma said. "I'll leave soon."

"There's no need. If you don't have a place to stay for the night, you're welcome to stay here. Besides, I don't think your ankle will allow you to walk much anyway."

"What's wrong with my ankle?" he asked.

"It's sprained," Yukimura replied. "Also, your ribs are bruised pretty bad. I imagine it's already hard enough to breath sitting up."

He wasn't going to say anything in response to that. He knew that it was true. There was no way in hell he was going to let Yukimura know that. After all, there was no use on letting a practical stranger know what was going on in his miserable life.

_He wouldn't care either. I am not to him. He only did this because I was collapsed on the street, nothing more._

"Where's your family?" he asked.

"My parents are often overseas. They let me stay here because they didn't want to uproot me every time they were called away for work. It wasn't until I started to attend elementary school that they were moved around and since I was excelling academically and sports-wise here. It is nice at times, but it gets lonely from time to time."

"Is that why you seem close to your teammates?"

"Maybe, they have become like my family. Especially when I was down with my illness, my parents barely came by to check on me. All they did was pay for the hospital bills and physical therapy."

"I see," he muttered.

_At least your family never hurt you. They may not be present all the time, but they don't think you're a disgrace to them._

"Like I said before, Echizen-san, you are more than welcome to stay here. I wouldn't mind the company."

"I won't stay. I'm just a burden."

"You know," Yukimura said with a darker tone. He looked the former Rikkaidai captain in the eye. "You don't always have to be by yourself. Sometimes we need help. Even if you can't rely on your former team members, there are still people out there who care for you. I'm one of them. Don't forget that."

He looked away and tried to keep himself from crying. If there were people who still cared for them, why hadn't they tried to help him? Why had they left him? He thought he could trust them and he had been wrong about them. So how could he trust someone he had met briefly and believe everything that was said? It didn't make sense.

_Why does he care so much? Why did he even take me in? Is it just to mock me?_

He heard Yukimura get up and leave the room. Why did he feel so guilty for accepting the help of someone else Was it because he wanted to try and do this by himself? It didn't make sense to him. However, there wasn't much in his life that made sense anymore. How many times had he gone over what his father had done to try and justify the actions. Every time he tried to justify it though, he became less certain and more uneasy about everything.

Why couldn't he just have a normal life? Or one where he wasn't judged on what he was supposed to become. Because he knew that there was never going to be a chance where he could be better than his father. He had tried and failed so many times. It was never going to end. Every time that he failed them, it was just a reminder that he was nothing in comparison to his father. What was he supposed to do in that sort of situation? It wasn't his dream to fail his parents, but he had in every aspect. No matter what score he got in school, it didn't matter. His father had always done better, even if it was the same. There was always something to criticize about his tennis and his attitude. He could never do anything right.

So what hope did he have? What was left for him in this life if everything he did not matter? What was he supposed to do? Ryoma tried to think of one reason that he should live.

_You're not on the streets. You are alive because he did not leave you there. If he had left you, there would have been no other reason._

"How do I make it up to him?" Ryoma whispered.

"What are you talking about?" Yukimura asked.

He jumped slightly. This was the second time that the blue-haired person had come into the room without him knowing. Usually, he was aware of every movement that his parents made. Now…now he didn't feel the need to listen so hard and always be on guard.

"How do I make up being a burden to you?"

"Echizen-san, you are not a burden. You don't have to "make up" anything to me. Your presence is enough. It does not matter how long you stay, but I just like your company."

"Why?"

"Because you seem interesting," Yukimura replied.

"That's it?" he asked.

"Were you expecting a different answer?"

"Yes, no one ever fins me interesting."

"What about your teammates?"

"They were just interested in my tennis abilities and how far I could go. They didn't really care about anything else."

He noticed a frown forming on Yukimura's face.

"That doesn't sound like Seigaku. Most of all, it doesn't sound like Tezuka."

"Then you believe the farce like everyone else," he mumbled.

"Maybe so, however, I've known Tezuka for a long time and he never came across as shallow. Yes, he wanted to hone the different talents of his team, but he never wanted to only focus on their skills in tennis."

Yukimura stared at the boy sitting on the bed. Even though he hadn't known Echizen very well, he knew that there was something wrong. Everything from being on the streets in the first place to the skewed vision of Tezuka was off. He did not know what had gone wrong or even where the problem was, but he knew that he wanted to provide a helping hand throughout the situation.

Ever since Nationals, the young boy had been on his mind and how Echizen had overcome everything that he had thrown at him. It was enthralling and had made the match so much more interesting compared to the other opponents he had played. Most would give up and others would put up a fight, but never defeat him. Echizen had done all of that in the duration of one match and had shown him so much emotion on the court.

It was as if tennis was the way that Echizen could express himself. Every emotion, enthusiasm, and trepidation was out there for him to see. He saw the pain and the confusion through it all. There didn't seem to be much wrong with the boy then. However, this was a different story. The person who had showed him so many expressions on the court was now shrinking at every word he said. It wasn't meant to tear him down, nor was it meant to be hurtful.

Though with the way Echizen reacted, he felt that he was overstepping his boundaries and hurting the young teen even more. It was hard to be in a spot where he knew nothing, but knew that there was something wrong anyway. How was he supposed to handle it when he couldn't figure out what the problem was. He needed more information, but he wasn't going to try and get it out of Echizen. From what he could tell, the boy had trust issues and that was something that could not be conquered easily. If he could get past that first barrier, he felt that everything else would follow afterward.

There was no easy way to handle the situation thought. He knew that it wasn't going to be easy, but he hoped that Echizen gave him a chance to show that he was going to be there for him, no matter what was going on in his life. There was more there and he wanted to be there this time. It did not matter if he barely knew the boy; he was going to try his best to make sure that Echizen Ryoma was not going to give up on everything.

"What are you staring at?" Echizen asked.

"I'm just contemplating what I should do."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I wonder how I'm going to help you."

"You don't need to help me. I'll be fine on my own, Yukimura-san."

"You may drop the honorific," he said quickly. "it makes me feel too distant from you. Even if we have only spent a few hours with each other, I don't want honorifics to get in the way."

Echizen stared at him as if he had completely lost his mind. He didn't care though. He was used to being looked at like he was a lunatic.

"If you insist then," Echizen said. "I suppose that you can just call me by my first name. I grew up in America so it's kind of weird to be called by my last name all the time."

He smiled slightly. At least he was making progress, even if it was just getting past some of the formalities. He would rather be going forward rather than backward. He just hoped that he could keep this up.

_To be continued…_


	3. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.**

Lady Monozuki: Hello everyone! I am happy to report that I had a wonderful vacation. It was incredibly relaxing and gave me plenty of ideas. I am currently lazing around the house 'cause I had my wisdom teeth pulled and there's not much for me to do aside from write and watch anime all day. I hope you all enjoy. Updates for my other stories shall follow in the coming days. Thank you to everyone who reviewed (especially those whom I have not replied to yet, sorry!).

Screams tore through the air, filling the sky with anguish and sorrow. He could only watch as the one person suffered through hell in the dream world. Yukimura had tried to wake up the frightening person, but had been pushed away. He had tried several times, but the result ended the same and now all he could do was watch. How he wished that he would wake the person from their nightmare and save them from the torture, but it seemed that he was doomed to suffer.

"Ryoma," he whispered. "Please wake up. Everything that you see is merely a nightmare. There's a much more pleasant reality waiting for you once you open your eyes."

The sleeping figure did not calm though. Instead, it seemed that his words had only made things worse. Even though he knew that it was not the case, he still felt guilty. Just how was he supposed to handle a situation like this? He had never gone through this sort of situation with another person. Usually, he was the one who was relying on others. Yukimura let out a small chuckle. He should have learned from them what was best to do. After all, his teammates had put up with him through thick and thin. Now, he just wanted to do something for one person in return.

He wanted to be the one that was strong this time. However, he feared that he would also have to rely on his teammates to get him through this as well. He stood up and exited the room so he could make a quick phone call. He knew there was one person he could rely through all of this. He pulled his cell out of his pocket and pressed one button.

"Sanada, I need you to do something for me," he said.

Ryoma opened his eyes and tried to remember what he had been dreaming previously. All he knew was that he was running away from someone who had tried to take keep him away from his current sanctuary. Waking with such a cold and empty feeling was not his ideal way of starting the day. He looked around the room and noticed that Yukimura was no longer present. He decided that he would test out his ankle and how much weight it could stand. It took him a couple of minutes to put his full weight on his feet because of the several times he had to pause and regain his breath. A couple of steps around the room told him that it wasn't nearly as bad as Yukimura had made it out.

_I've had worse._

"What are you doing up?" Yukimura asked in a slightly panicked voice. He wanted to laugh at the tone, but managed not to.

"Just testing my injuries," he replied. He thought that it was pretty obvious what he was doing, apparently he was wrong.

"You shouldn't be moving around so much. You're going to aggravate your injuries."

"You sound like Oishi-sempai. I never pegged you for a mother-hen type."

"I'm not. Your injuries have the potential of getting worse though and I don't want you to have to spend even longer confined to a bed because I let you be reckless."

"It doesn't matter," he replied in a cold tone. "This is nothing that I can't handle."

"Acting tough won't get you anywhere. I want you to take care of yourself instead of justifying your actions to me. I know that you've been hurt, but that doesn't mean you can do whatever you want."

He sighed. He knew that he should take care of his body. After all, he was supposed to be a superstar athlete. Keeping his body in prime condition was his top priority. As those words echoed in his mind, he wanted to laugh. How was he supposed to take care of himself if he had to put up with the abuse every day? Was this something designed to test him?

_If it is, then they have a sick sense of humor._

He noticed that Yukimura was about to open his mouth again, probably to object to him still standing. Before he heard another lecture of the importance of his health, he went back to bed.

"Happy?" he grumbled.

"No, but I am satisfied."

"Satisfied that I'm miserable?"

"If that's how you want to view it as."

"Sadist," Ryoma muttered.

"Not to the extent that you think I am," Yukimura countered.

"Tennis is a form of expressing ourselves," Ryoma stated. "You can hardly tell me that you're not as sadistic as your tennis."

Yukimura merely chuckled at him. Ryoma was starting to get angry. What was so damn funny about their match a few months ago? Honestly, the thought that it was going to be the end of his life. Not that he would have cared either way. His baka oyaji had tried to kill him the day before the match. No matter how much his father claimed it to be for "training", he knew the truth.

"What are you thinking about, Ryoma?" Yukimura asked.

"Betsuni," he replied. He certainly wasn't going to tell Yukimura that the day when he was trying to regain his memories, it was because he father had tried to kill him. He was sure that wouldn't go over well with anyone. The only person who had figured it out was Monkey King. He always found it annoying how that arrogant prick had enough brains to put the pieces together when his own teammates hadn't.

It stung more because there wasn't anything that he could tell his teammates too. They had to figure it out on his own, otherwise he couldn't tell them. His father had connections everywhere and one hint of him disclosing such information would be the end of his life. He had tried to be careless at times, but he was met with punishments. So he resorted to locking it all inside and hoping that every day, someone from his team would take the time to put them all together.

No, it had been the one person whom he abhorred the most that had noticed he wasn't fine and that everything he was enduring stemmed from his household. Of course, Monkey King hadn't done anything about it. However, he couldn't blame Atobe for that. His father had threatened to kill him if Atobe so much as breathed a word to the police. After seeing the extent of his injuries at the time, it was no wonder the diva had complied.

"You're spacing out a lot today. Could it be that your fever is running high again?"

"No," he said angrier than he had meant to. "I'm just thinking, that's all."

"I see," Yukimura said softly.

If Yukimura was offended, he certainly didn't say anything. It worried him. Usually, he wouldn't speak to someone in such a disrespectful tone. However, Yukimura had just brushed it off as if it wasn't a big deal."

"If there's anything I can do, let me know. I suggest that you try and get some more rest. Later this afternoon, there's going to be some company."

"I see," was all he said before closing his eyes and trying to fall back asleep.

Yukimura had known that it wasn't going to be easy to get through to the younger bow. While he wasn't sure of the entire situation, he could guess that it had something to do with Ryoma's home. He was not going to go after the information without Ryoma's knowledge as that would destroy the little trust the other had put in him. He was, however, going to try and gain the information as he could. He needed to know what was going on so he could figure out how best to handle the situation. If there was something going on between Echizen and his parents, then he might have to bring his father's influence and power in this.

He had seen the scars, fading, and fresh bruises, cuts, and other injuries. It looked as though it was repetitive. That meant that it was something that had been going on for a long time. The longer that Ryoma was in that environment though, the lesser their chances were on making sure that the most promising tennis star in this day and age stayed alive and well were.

However, home didn't seem to be the only problem that plagued the young star. He supposed that a little chat with Seigaku was in order as well. He had called Tezuka not too long after Sanada and instructed the former captain to meet at his house, for what he insisted was a "friendly" match. He knew that Tezuka would not turn down the opportunity to play against him. Sometimes people were too easy to manipulate.

The doorbell to his house rung and he walked down to greet his guest. He had so many emotions running through his mind right now, but he was doing his best to keep them in check. He opened the door.

"Tezuka, I'm glad you could meet me on such short notice," he greeted with a faux smile.

"I'm curious as to why you called me out here."

"Just a friendly match," Yukimura replied. "I haven't played you for two years. I just wanted to test my strength."

"Is that all?" Tezuka pressed.

He didn't say anything in response. He knew how odd it looked for him to suddenly call out someone he considered a rival. However, he needed more insight as to the situation. There was one thing about Tezuka that he always appreciated; the man never lied. Tezuka may not be aware of it, but he could read the mask so well. He picked up the tennis bag by the door and then left. He knew that Sanada would be there in a few minutes and would let himself in so there was no need to worry about Ryoma. What was more important was getting the truth.

They headed toward the outdoor courts his parents had built him four years ago, when they first saw his potential for tennis. He wanted to be close in case of an emergency, but also wanted to be a little distant so he wouldn't feel bad about interrogating Ryoma's former captain. He handed Tezuka a ball, silently telling him to serve first.

"How has your shoulder been?"

"Fine," Tezuka replied in a monotone voice.

"Are you going to play tennis next year?"

"Of course," came the answer.

"That's good. It would be a shame to lose a rival like you. After all, there are limited people who can challenge us. You're already leaving one behind in junior high."

He noticed the way Tezuka flinched slightly. Something had happened between him and Ryoma, he could already tell.

"How many times have you challenged the boy since Nationals?"

"A couple of times."

The voice was dismissive. However, he wasn't going to let it go.

"Really? From what I heard, you've played more matches against him than any of your other team members. That is, of course, with the exception of your ranking tournaments."

He watched Tezuka's expression change slightly from serious to a guilty look.

"What's wrong, Tezuka? Are you not fond of talking about the prodigy you spent so much time to train?" he asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Tezuka said sternly.

"You can drop the act. I know that something went between you and I'm not going to rest until I find out what it is."

"Did he tell you to talk to me?"

"No, I merely made an observation. Are you going to tell me or are you going to continue with this charade?"

The ball dropped on Tezuka's side of the court, but the teen made no effort to get to it.

"What happened between Echizen and I is of no importance of you."

"It's just what happened between you and Echizen. I'm curious to know why the rest of the team abandoned him as well. It can't simply be because he's still in junior high. From what I hear, you're still friendly with those two incoming seniors."

Again, he watched the guilty look return.

"We didn't want to abandon him. We just didn't know how to save him."

_To be continued…_


	4. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.**

Lady Monozuki: Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing! I finally got this chapter done after much mulling over it and erasing. I hope you enjoy!

He stared at Tezuka for a moment, trying to comprehend the meaning of those words.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"We didn't learn about what was happening to him domestically until after Nationals. We were foolish to believe everything he told us. We noticed the bruises and cuts, yes, and he told us that there was someone bullying him. We assumed that someone was in the school. We didn't think that it stemmed from his own home."

"So how did you find out about it?" he pressed.

"It was by accident. The day after Nationals, we invited the Regulars out to have a relaxing day together. We decided to walk and went to everyone's house to pick them up. Echizen was the last on our stop. We heard shouting from the house and a cry of pain. Then we heard someone shout; "If only you had died when I pushed you off the cliff. You're useless, you know that?". We were so shocked that we couldn't respond. We waited a while for the screaming to stop before making our presence known. Echizen Nanjiroh opened the door and looked livid. We barely saw Echizen Ryoma scurry out of sight, but we saw the blood on the floor. When we made it out, we brought it up, but he made it very clear that he didn't want our help."

He frowned. That didn't sounds like Ryoma at all. Then again, he barely knew the kid. What Tezuka probably didn't know was the Ryoma secretly wanted the help. He would never state it directly, he would push people away, but silently be egging them on to keep on noticing and to keep on trying to help him.

"Did you give up after that?" he asked.

"Yes. We tried to bring it up once after that, but he yelled at us to leave him alone and that he would handle it."

"Why didn't you push harder?" Yukimura asked quietly.

"Because, there's no point on helping someone who doesn't want our help. We said that we would help him and he didn't want anything to do with us. What were we supposed to do?"

"You could have tried anyway!" he shouted. "You could have told him that you weren't stopping until he was safe and that you were willing to do anything to get him out of that situation. My god, you saw him injured and you did nothing! How can you even live with yourself for treating him that way? For god's sake, you were his teammate, you were his captain, you let him down in every aspect."

"It's not my job to get involved with his issues at home."

"No, but it _is_ your job to make sure that all your tennis members are in their best condition. You knew about the beatings, even if you didn't know where they stemmed from, but you did nothing. You let him continue to play in whatever condition and you let him go through this without a person he could turn to. No wonder why he hates you guys so much."

Tezuka looked taken aback by his last comment. "He hates us?"

"I can tell. He's ready to give up on himself because of what you failed to do. Wouldn't you hate the people who you thought cared about you too? Look what you did to him."

"Yukimura," Tezuka started. "If it's all right with you, I'd like to speak to him."

"No," he said. "He's not in any condition to receive you."

"You mean, physically?" Tezuka asked.

"No, emotionally," he replied. "He doesn't need to see you right now. It will only ruin what little I've done so far. I think we're done with this game. I trust that you can see yourself out, yes?"

"Wait," Tezuka said. "Why do you care about Echizen so much?"

"Because I want him to survive and thrive in this world," he answered. "I want to see him be the best that he can be."

"Take care of him for us."

"No need to tell me."

Ryoma stared out the window, purposely ignoring the stoic person sitting beside his bed. Even if Yukimura had asked Sanada to look in on him, he felt that it was unnecessary to bring in someone even more strict. He sighed. He couldn't even walk around without Sanada throwing a little fit about not obeying Yukimura's orders. Honestly, if he had to listen to some speech about how Yukimura knew best one more time, he was going to jump out the window.

"Echizen, you need to eat something," Sanada said.

"I'm not hungry," he lied. He wasn't going to admit that he was. He didn't know why he had to be so damn proud all of the time. He just hated feeling so weak and reliant all of the time. Why couldn't he just accept their help without feeling like he was a burden? Maybe because all his life he had heard, was how useless and burdensome he was? He didn't care. He didn't want to figure out the reason either. All he wanted to do was make it through the day.

"Echizen," Sanada spoke again.

Before the other could say anything about Yukimura, he decided to take a bit of the food that Yukimura had left for him. He took a few more bites just to get Sanada off his back. He didn't know what was worse, dealing with Yukimura or the vice-captain. The door to his room opened and he watched the blue-haired teen walk through.

"Ah good, you're eating," Yukimura commented.

"Where did you go?" he asked.

"I just had some business to take care of, Ryoma. Was Sanada too harsh on you?"

"No comment," he replied.

Yukimura chuckled. He noticed that blue-haired teen was deep in thought and itching to talk to someone about it. However, he had the feeling that it wasn't going to be him. He could tell just by the way that Yukimura kept glancing at Sanada, as if telling the stoic man the message. Sanada seemed adept at being able to read hiss captain and stood.

"Finish your food Echizen," Sanada instructed.

"We won't take long," Yukimura promised.

He waved a dismissive hand. It wasn't like it was any of his business what they discussed. He'd rather be alone right now after being stuck with Sanada for a good length of time. He honestly wondered how the Rikkaidai players survived. Then again, there were remarkable differences between them and the different schools in the district. Ryoma slowly polished off the rest of his food. It had already been fifteen minutes.

_Yukimura doesn't like to leave me for that long, unless I'm asleep. I wonder what they're talking about._

"Why did you take him in, Yukimura? You've only met him once at Nationals."

"Sanada, there's something seriously wrong with him. I don't want to talk about it, because that would violate his privacy. All I can tell you is that he has no one right now. I know that it's unlike me to do anything like this. However, I think that he's in need of my help. You're not going to change my mind. He's got a lot of issues and no one to tell them to. I just spoke to Tezuka and they don't even know what to do."

Sanada raised an eyebrow. "You spoke to Tezuka?"

"Yes, just a few moments ago. I appreciate you coming out and looking after him for a while. Now, are there any other concerns you want to voice?"

He could see the concern in Sanada's eyes. While the other was content to not say anything, he knew that Sanada would answer if he asked directly. He folded his arms and waited for an answer.

"This won't affect your summer training, right? We are going to start training in two days."

"I'll be there. I don't know what I'll do, but I'll be there and I'll lead the team like normal. I said that I would take care of him and I will, but I also won't let my team down. I know how much you're all counting on me."

"Yukimura, does this have anything to do with the fact that you couldn't help anyone while you were in the hospital?"

He swallowed. Yes, he had felt weak while in the hospital and he wasn't able to help anyone, much less himself. He had ignored the cries of some of his team members who needed his help because he wasn't able to handle them. Now that he was better, he was able to help people again and give them his strength when they needed it. It was a valid question. However, he didn't want Ryoma to become an unfortunate victim of his attempt to make up for lost time.

Yukimura sighed. "I don't want you to think that's why I took him in. I know that I've always been able to help people and have done my best to no matter what they were going through. This time, it's different. I don't understand all of my thoughts or feelings right now. All I want is for him to get through this and to stand strong again. This isn't the Echizen Ryoma we know. You can tell that he's already fighting just to keep his life."

"Just don't make him another charity case. He doesn't need that."

"I know, Sanada. I'll be careful."

"One more thing," Sanada continued. "Don't toy with his heart."

He knew what the other meant. However, he found it presumptuous that Sanada would think that when the situation was as serious as this. He felt his anger grow. He was not someone who took advantage people when they were in such a vulnerable state. Even though there was something attractive about that helplessness. When he was weak though, he often preyed after the strong to make him feel more powerful.

"If you are going to make up ridiculous statements, then you can leave my home now. I know you're concerned about my reputation, but I'm not that type of person and don't appreciate you suggesting that I am."

"You've already started and you don't realize it," Sanada said quietly. "You may think that I'm out of line, but I know you better than anyone else. Or did you forget what happened when you were in the hospital?"

He sighed. It wasn't the same situation. "That was idiotic of me and I assure you that it will not happen ever again. I made a mistake and I do not intend to make the same one again, especially if you're going to hold it against me. When I first made my mistake, you did not complain, so why the sudden change of heart? Is it because I hurt you in the end and now you have to sabotage everything else in my life?'

He watched Sanada's expressions change quickly. He could tell the others was struggling to keep anger in control. This was not the first time they had clashed like this. The problem was that he did not like to lose his position as number one. He liked to always be in control. This is why he and Sanada never worked out and never would work out. They were too controlling and could never succumb to their feelings, let alone to feelings the other had for them. Even though that was the reason, it was not the one he gave. He did something far more unforgivable. He told Sanada that he had only asked the other to be his boyfriend to give him some sense of accomplishment and power when he was weak.

He knew that what he had done was wrong. However, he needed to ensure that there would never be another chance for them to get back together. He had succeeded, and instead he put up with all the cautions whenever he thought of pursuing another relationship. The only difference was that he was not even going there with Ryoma. This was all about helping Ryoma regain everything he had lost and hopefully make him stronger and better than he was before.

"I'm doing this because I don't want you to get hurt again. I've seen you put yourself in the situations time and again, but I will not let you do it this time. I do not care if you think I'm off-base, but it's true."

"Why are you so concerned now? You never expressed this much concern with the others."

"Because there's too much at stake here. He's got too much in his life and doesn't need you."

"Sanada, I appreciate the concern, but I am not going to enter into any relationship with him aside from a friendship."

"Do you promise?"

He nodded. "Now, I'll see you tomorrow at practice. You know the way out."

Yukimura watched as Sanada exited the room and waited another minute before he let himself relax. He knew the risks and dangers of having Echizen Ryoma in his home. He was attracted to those who were in a weak and broken state, but he vowed that this time, everything would be different. He was not going to let anything get in his way, even any feelings he may develop.

He walked out of the room and headed for Ryoma's room. He opened the door slightly and saw that the younger man was sound asleep. He cleared the room of dishes before exiting and letting the other sleep. He was not going to mess this up.

_There's too much at stake if I let him down._

He promised himself that he wasn't going to be another person to make Ryoma cry. It was his intent to keep that promise, no matter what.

_To be continued…_


	5. Chapter Five

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.**

**Lady Monozuki: **You all havre DragonFire Princess to thank for this chapter. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter and are not too mad at me to not leave a review. Thank you to everyone who has stuck around regardless. Please enjoy!

"_You can never leave. You need me."_

Ryoma curled up, pulling the blankets closer to him. The lines repeated itself in his head. His father's mocking tone rung loudly in his ears. Those simple words cut at his heart. He knew what he had to do. He knew exactly what was expected of him. Every time this happened, he thought about never returning. It was a nice thought. He wouldn't have to live with the constant abuse or the expectations that he was intended to live up to. However, each time, the idea was struck down by the laughter of the only person he couldn't escape.

_I'm pathetic._

A soft knock at the door broke through the cynical voice of his father. He didn't say anything though. He didn't want anyone to bother him right now. He just wanted to be alone with his thoughts. The door opened anyway. He heard the shuffling of footsteps drawing closer, stopping at the edge of the bed he was resting on. A soft hand touched his forehead.

"Your fever broke, that's good."

He didn't say anything, hoping that his lack of response would indicate that he was still asleep. A soft chuckle filled the room.

"You know, you're not good at pretending that you're asleep."

"Go away," he muttered.

"Ryoma." The soft voice had a serious tone. He ignored it, figuring that the other would talk regardless of whether or not he responded. "Ryoma, I need to talk to you about tennis practice."

His heart tightened at those words alone. He didn't want to think about tennis right now.

"_You need me."_

_-Just as I am-_

"The Rikkaidai regulars are beginning a training regimen and I need to be in attendance. I don't want to leave you here though. I'd like for you to come with me."

Yukimura waited for any form of response to his proposition. He wasn't going to take "no" for an answer. Ryoma couldn't be left alone.

_You're afraid he's going to leave._

It wasn't just that to consider. He knew Ryoma was the type to do reckless things without any supervision. He wanted to make sure that the other wouldn't try to sprint a marathon with his injuries. Yukimura also thought it would be good for Ryoma to experience different people. The ones that had claimed to be the teen's teammates were nothing more that cowards and were undeserving of that title.

"You're angry."

He was brought out of his thoughts about Seigaku at those words. He looked at the "super rookie," who had beaten him a few months ago.

"What were you angry about?" came the innocent question.

"Nothing," he said quickly. "About practice—"

"I don't want to go to practice," Ryoma replied harshly.

"Just come and watch. You can give the others pointers. I'm sure they'll appreciate it."

"I don't want to."

He frowned. He knew that the other practically breathed tennis. The reaction was too strong and hostile coming from someone who had lived their entire life for the sport. "Why not?" he pressed gently.

"Don't feel like it."

He frowned. "That's not a good response."

"You're the one who told me that I shouldn't walk around."

"What if I carried you?" he joked.

"Yadda." There was no hesitation in the reply.

He chuckled. That sounded like the old, arrogant Ryoma.

_At least he isn't completely gone._

Even if it was just one sentence, it was still a glimmer of hope.

"That doesn't solve the problem of leaving you here."

"I don't need supervision. I'll probably just sleep," Echizen mumbled while pulling the covers over his head again.

"Fine, I'll let you stay here for today, but tomorrow I'm letting Sanada carry you to the courts."

"Over my dead body," Ryoma said sleepily. He let out another chuckle before leaving the room. Even if he didn't feel right about leaving the other here, there wasn't much that he could do, especially with someone so stubborn.

_Not that I'm any different._

_-Just as I am-_

The ball sailed over the net at a speed that would intimidate even the best players in the sport. However, the two playing on the court were hardly normal players. Their speed and power far exceed those of normal fourteen year-old players. Yukimura watched intently, examining every stroke and return. Part of being an exceptional tennis player was incorporating a perfect balance of skills and never to waste energy.

However, there was no absolute way to conquer the loss of stamina and physical exertion. Though there were plenty of ways to minimize the effect. Yukimura's mind drifted back toward the match between him and Echizen. A twelve year-old managed to surpass them all in that one match. They had spent several years training, hoping at a shot to become a professional, but Echizen Ryoma had surpassed them all.

"Yukimura," he heard in the distance. He snapped his head to the left, looking at the stern man beside him.

"Sanada," he acknowledged. "What do you think of the match so far?"

"Kirihara is doing well, but his set-ups take too long. Every second is vital, especially in a match against Yanagi."

"So you noticed it too."

"If he's going to take over Rikkaidai, he needs to be close to flawless in every play that he does, regardless of what mode his is in."

"Aa," Yukimura agreed. His mind drifted back to Echizen.

"You're thinking about Echizen, aren't you?"

He turned toward Sanada. "You always seem to know what I'm thinking."

"You're not as mysterious as you think you are."

He chuckled, "Apparently not." He sighed. "I'm worried. When we were talking about tennis, he replied harshly to my suggestion that he come along."

"Maybe he's just bored of the sport."

"Echizen lives for tennis. Anyone who has played against him understands that."

"You think this is all interconnected?"

"I'm certain it is."

"What are you going to do?" Sanada asked.

"Wait out the storm. It's the only thing I can do," Yukimura replied. "Oh, and drag him to practice."

"Even if it's against his will?"

"Yukimura, your turn to practice!" Marui yelled across the courts. He picked up his tennis racket and headed toward the courts.

"Oh, I told him that you would carry him to practice," Yukimura replied.

"What?"

He laughed.

-Just as I am-

Ryoma jolted awake, remembering his father's words once again. He laughed hollowly. No matter where he was, he couldn't escape that man. He banged his fist against the wall. He was so pathetic. He hated himself for it. He looked around the room. There was a plate of food on the table next to him with a note from Yukimura.

"Please eat this when you wake up. I'll be home in a couple of hours," he read out loud.

He glared at the sandwiches. He didn't deserve any of this kindness. He shouldn't stay here. He was merely a burden to Yukimura. Ryoma pulled off the covers, touching his feet to the floor. Bracing himself for the pain of walking on his foot, he stood. He took a couple of steps forward, biting the side of his cheek every time he bore weight on his ankle.

He didn't have a choice. He couldn't stay.

Ryoma waited. He tried to keep himself from trembling, but was unsuccessful. He hung his head, hiding his shame.

"Well, well, look who finally came home." He was roughly pulled inside the house. The door shut behind him. A hand struck his cheek. "You're late, damn brat."

-Just as I am-

Yukimura walked up the stairs to where Echizen was staying. Even though practice had gone well, he hadn't paid much attention during his match, letting his instincts take over. Despite his lack of attention, he had won all of his games without dropping a single point.

He knocked on the door gently. There was no response, as usual. He opened the door and entered.

"Echizen?"

_To be continued…_


	6. Chapter Six

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.**

**Lady Monozuki:** Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I appreciate it very much. I had every intention of getting this chapter out within a week of the last update, but I received some very bad news and really couldn't focus at all. The person I owe the biggest apology to is DragonFire Princess. I apologize deeply for not being able to update when I said I would. I hope you accept this longer chapter as payment.

With all of that being said, I am going to say that I am finding it extremely difficult to keep up with the number of stories I have going. Between them, plus work, and everything life seems to be dumping down on me, it's been hard to find time to write. So, in order to figure out which stories you are most interested in, I am asking you to review. I want you to review your favorite story of mine so I can determine an update schedule. The story/stories with the most reviews will be updated first, followed by the ones with the least amount of reviews. I'm hoping to run a bi-weekly schedule. Popular stories the first week, less popular the second week. So, if this is your favorite story, please review!

Yukimura turned on the light to the room. He looked at the bed, where he expected the other person to be. The blankets were thrown back. His eyes widened.

"No," he whispered. "Echizen?"

He ran out of the room, looking in the different rooms. His heart pounded loudly as he searched frantically for Ryoma. But as each room turned up empty, his hope that Echizen would still be there faded. Yukimura turned on the light to the kitchen in his last hope. Nothing. He closed his eyes for a moment. Pulling out his mobile, he pressed down the number two button for speed dial.

"Yukimura," Sanada's voice came over the line.

"He's gone, Gen. I checked all over the house. He's not here."

-Just-

His knees collided with the cement ground. Sweat dripped down his face as he panted. The sun beat down on his tiny frame. A round shadow travelled across the ground before it struck him on the back.

"Get up. You're pathetic," he heard an angry voice say above him.

"Just one minute," he gasped out.

A hard object crashed into his spine. He winced. "There is no time for breaks. If you want to be the best, you're going to have to put in a lot more effort. Mada mada."

Ryoma straightened himself up to face his father. He glared directly into the eyes of the man that he both hated and needed. He wasn't going to give up. He had to prove his father wrong about everything.

"I can to do this."

"Prove it."

His father stalked off to the other side of the court. Ryoma took his position at the baseline. His father served the ball once again. His golden eyes focused on the small round object. He sprinted forward to return the sphere. Using the force from his running, he swung at the ball. His racket connected with the tennis ball briefly.

A snap echoed across the courts. Ryoma looked down. His strings had snapped.

"At least you finally connected with the ball," his father said after a brief moment of silence. Ryoma inwardly smirked. He had finally accomplished what his father called impossible. "Took you too long."

The pride he had felt instantly vanished.

-Just-

Sanada watched as Yukimura shook. He didn't need to ask what was bothering the other. They knew each other well enough to not need to speak. It was in this moment that he realized that he didn't know what his role was as a friend. It had been easy as a boyfriend. He knew exactly what Yukimura had wanted, but now that the line had been drawn again, he really didn't know what was expected of him without pushing the boundary.

Part of him wished that the line didn't exist anymore.

However, he would never mention that out loud. After all, Yukimura believed that it was mutual. He had believed it for a while too. But every once in a while, that tugging feeling came back and he wanted to once again let himself rest in the arms of the frail-looking man that now sat across from him. He offered the other man tea, which was accepted, but not touched. The blank expression on Yukimura's face told him that the other was rethinking the events of the past few days.

He had the feeling that he would never compare to the impression that Echizen had made on his friend.

"He must have gone back home," Yukimura's hallow voice said. He frowned. It made the most sense. Echizen wanted to be the best tennis player that he could be and his father was one of the best in the world.

"What do you want to do?" he asked, hoping that Yukimura had a better plan than "Let's go drag him away from home."

"We need to get him away from his home."

He sighed. What else did he honestly expect?

-Just-

Yukimura stood outside of a temple that Tezuka had said Echizen was living in. The well-respected captain of the Seigaku tennis team had been reluctant to divulge in Echizen's location, especially upon hearing that Ryoma had left him alone. He had restrained himself from getting defensive when Tezuka mentioned that he should have done more to help Echizen.

_It's not as if I forced him to go back home._

That's what he had wanted to say, but didn't. Instead, he had stayed polite, despite every bone in his body telling him to point out everything Tezuka _hadn't_ done. Now, here he was, trying to mentally prepare himself for anything that could happen. Sanada stood beside him. He had come along despite his insistence that the other dind't need to be there. Gen had come anyway. And honestly, he was glad to have the support of his friend. He would need it.

He rang the doorbell to the temple, deciding that he couldn't stay out here forever. Besides, who know what could have happened to Echizen in the time that he had wasted in front of the door. His only hope was that Ryoma was safe and no more hurt than when he had first found the tennis prodigy. It was asking a lot, but he could still wish.

From inside the house, he could hear someone shout to get the door, an angry-sounding man. A woman calmly told him something in reply, but it wasn't clear. Yukimura heard the man swear angrily. Someone was stomping throughout the house, and it was drawing closer to them. The door slammed open, showing an angry man with short hair and stubble on his chin. He took in the man's image. If not for the golden eyes, he wouldn't have thought that this man was related in any way to Ryoma. In fact, it was still hard to grasp that this man was the great Samurai Nanjiroh.

He felt angre run through his veins, which he desperately tried to control. Icon in the teniis world or not, there was no excuse of the man to hurt his own son!

"Can I help you?" the man asked angrily, as if Yukimura had offended him by just being there.

"I'm here to visit Echizen Ryoma," Yukimura said.

"He's not here."

Nanjiroh started to close the door on him when Sanada did the last thing he expected. Sanada blocked the door and pushed it open.

"Excuse me, Echizen-_san_," Sanada bit out in a harsh voice. "We're here to see your son. We know he's here. You don't have to lie to us."

The former tennis legend looked shocked that someone would defy him. He inwardly smirked, grateful that Sanada has insisted on coming after all. Without him, he probably would have acceptable defeat and walked away, trying to come up with a new plan on how to confront Ryoma about the situation.

"Get the hell off of my property before I call the police."

"All we want to do is talk to him," Yukimura said calmly. "He was supposed to start summer training with the team today and he missed practice. We wanted to pass along a message from Tezuka."

Nanjiroh looked between him and Sanada for a moment, contemplating his words. With the way that Sanada had acted, it was no wonder the man was skeptical.

"You don't look anything like his teammates," Nanjiroh said.

"We're new," he continued, hoping that Nanjiroh bought the lie. If he could just get inside to talk to Ryoma, then maybe, maybe things would get better.

"I'll let you talk to him, but I'll be watching you."

It was clear that Nanjiroh was trying to regain his ground and stay in control of the situation. Yukimura thanked him and the man huffed.

"Ryoma!" the elder bellowed across the house. "Get over here. Some teammates want to see you."

At least it was confirmed that Ryoma was here. He saw the tennis prodigy limp down the stairs, using the railing as support. It seemed to take Echizen all of his effort just to get down the flight of stairs since he hadn't even bothered to look at them. He wasn't sure how Ryoma would feel about them lying to see him. He silently hoped that Ryoma would play along.

When Ryoma finally did reach the door, it was clear that he was shocked to see them. However, he quickly hid that emotion. He didn't know whether it was for their sake or his own.

"What do you want?" Ryoma asked in a quiet voice.

"We were worried about you," Yukimura answered. "You didn't come to practice today. We wanted to make sure that you were all right."

Ryoma kept his face blank. Yukimura tried to read something on the other's face, but nothing was there. He again wondered if it was for their sake or his own.

"Did Tezuka-buchou send you?" Ryoma asked, playing along with them.

Yukimura smiled. "Do you think that he would let us?"

"Probably not, he's not usually the type that likes to invade homes," Yukimura answered, feeling confident enough in his answer.

"Yeah, well, you've always been able to convince people to do weird things. I mean, look you brought here," Echizen said.

He chuckled. "I suppose so. Tezuka-_buchou_," he said, biting out the honorific, "said that if we did manage to see you, to tell you that you'll have to make up the obstacle course tomorrow at practice."

"Did he now?"

"Oh yes. And that you expect to be running laps until sundown."

"Sounds like buchou," Ryoma muttered. The tennis prodigy looked at his father for a moment, silently communicating something between the two of them. Yukimura pretended not to have noticed. He instead took in the surroundings of the house, noting all of the small details. There was nothing amiss in the home, though it felt oddly hallow for some reason.

"I'll see you at practice tomorrow," Ryoma spoke, interrupting his observations.

"Excellent!" he said happily.

"Though, if I remember right, we're training with Rikkaidai."

He nodded in affirmation, hopefully to throw off any suspicion to the elder Echizen.

"Do you want me to walk with you tomorrow?"

"Sure," Ryoma answered. "Have a good night, sempai."

Ryoma walked away.

"Thank you for letting us see him, Echizen-san," Yukimura said. He smiled, hoping that the other person bought it. "And I hope you forgive us for the intrusion."

Before he could get a proper answer from Nanjiroh, they walked away. He didn't bother to hide the glee that he was feeling with the outcome of that visit. And tomorrow, tomorrow gave them something to look forward to.

-Just-

Ryoma woke up early the next day. He idly wondered how the day would go. It had been surprising to Yukimura and Sanada at his house last night. So odd that his father had slapped him for not telling him about practice and telling other people where they lived. He touched his cheek. It wasn't as swollen as it was last night, but he knew that Yukimura would point it out if he didn't cover it up. He looked in the mirror and noticed the purple hue it had taken. He sighed.

It wasn't anything new really. But he had appearances to keep up. And with Yukimura coming to meet him, he had to do something. He pulled out something that he always thought was for women—make-up. While he wasn't fond of the goopy products, they had turned out to be useful in hiding the more visible bruises. After a couple of minutes, he had covered the bruise on his cheek. He was just a little bit swollen, but at least it wasn't an unattractive colour.

Ryoma changed his clothes and grabbed his tennis gear. He wasn't hungry. And honestly, he didn't want to sit through a meal with his father. Who knows what other damage his father could inflict between now and when Yukimura arrived. He waited patiently for the doorbell to ring, which it did at seven in the morning. He answered the door before his father could get there and bellowed that he would be back later.

Yukimura had come alone, much to his relief. They walked a few blocks before the taller teen had bothered to say anything.

"Why did you leave?" Yukimura whispered. There was hurt and sadness in his voice, two emotions that he hadn't expected. He had expected anger and bitterness.

"I had to," he answered. He didn't want to give more information than that.

"You didn't have to, Ryoma."

"Yes, I did."

"But Ryoma!" Yukimura exclaimed. "After all that he's done? You deserve better than that."

He didn't say anything, just tried to keep himself together. He didn't want to hurt the other's feelings. What was he supposed to say in this situation? What _could_ he say?

"Fine, you don't want to talk about it." There was a brief silence before Yukimura's next question came. "I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"

He was surprised at the question. "No," he answered honestly. "You did more for me than anyone else. I appreciate it."

"I obviously didn't do something right," Yukimura muttered.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you went back."

_To be continued…_


	7. Chapter Seven

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.**

**Lady Monozuki:** I have to say thank you to everyone who reviewed this story. It was wonderful to read your reviews. As you can see, this story is being updated. Which means that it had one of the highest number of reviews! Thanks to everyone who reviewed this story (and those of you who didn't review, but secretly hoped that others would review it so it would be updated, please take a moment to silently thank those who did review). I hope that you all will continue to support this story. This story will be updated every second and fourth week per month. Please enjoy!

Silence fell over them as they continued their walk. Ryoma didn't know what to say to the other teen. He hadn't missed the hurt laced behind Yukimura's words. But why was it there in the first place? He was merely a burden to everyone that he had met. Even his own teammates had thought so. Yet Yukimura had showed something that no one had before—_emotion_.

They boarded a bus, at Yukimura's insistence, to get to Rikkaidai. He had protested, of course, but the older teen pointed out that he was already dropping his pace due to his ankle. Ryoma gave in, sitting silently, avoiding any eye contact with the person sitting next to him. There was a considerable distance between them, and any sudden movement in his peripheral vision sent waves of panic through him.

"Is the bruise on your cheek recent?" Yukimura whispered.

He looked up at the blue-haired teen in awe and confusion.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, trying to pretend that it wasn't there.

Yukimura touched his swollen cheek. He flinched. Not out of pain, but out of guilt. He looked down at the floor and closed his eyes, thinking that it had been a bad idea to come in the first place.

"We'll put ice on it when we get to Rikkaidai," Yukimura stated.

"I don't want ice," he said stubbornly.

"Is it because your cheek feels fine or because you don't want anyone to know that your cheek is swollen?"

It was the latter. They both knew that, but the question had been asked anyway.

"I don't know them," he whispered. "I don't know any of them. If they knew…"

He had let his sentence hang intentionally. He knew that Yukimura could fill in the blanks that he left. There were so many things that he didn't want anyone else to know. It was bad enough that Yukimura and Sanada knew.

"Is it because you're afraid that they're going to treat you like Seigaku?" Yukimura asked quietly.

The question was met with silence.

When they arrived at Rikkaidai, Sanada and Yanagi were already there warming up. Yukimura masked his true emotions from the two people who could read him like an open book if he wasn't careful. Ryoma hesitated behind him, trying not to stand out too much, which was amusing considering there were only two others present to begin with. He laughed inwardly instead.

"Sanada, Renji, good to see you so early," he greeted pleasantly. Well, as pleasantly as he could considering the long and uncomfortable ride to the tennis courts.

"Yukimura," Sanada said in greeting. The stern teen nodded briefly to Echizen before returning to warm-ups.

"Yukimura, I predicted that you would be fourth to arrive behind Yagyuu and Jackal. Looks like I really can't predict you after all."

He chuckled. "Well, at least you tried."

"It's also a surprise that you brought Echizen-san. You really like to defy data."

"There's no fun in being predictable," he countered. "And Ryoma is watching practice today."

"Interesting. Doesn't Seigaku have summer training today?"

Yukimura caught the flash of guilt on Echizen's face. However, it quickly disappeared. He was certain that Yanagi had caught it too. Lying wasn't going to work with his ever-observant teammate.

"Echizen is here to watch our training and give us pointers. I already talked to Tezuka."

It was partially true. He had talked to Tezuka, but not about whether or not Echizen could join them for practice. Given the state that Ryoma was in, he figured it would be more like feeding the wolves. There would be more questions at Seigaku than at Rikkaidai. Well, if you excluded Yanagi from the entire equation.

"I see," Yanagi merely replied. "It's nice to see you again, Echizen-san."

The data-crazed person also returned to their warm-up, leaving him and Ryoma in the silence once again. Yukimura led the young tennis player to the locker rooms so he could change. He was not going to let Echizen play in his condition, no matter how much his teammates begged. Echizen was merely going to watch practice and make commentary on their performance. That was the plan at least. Things never did like to go according to plan.

-Just-

The bus rolled in front of the building, coming to a full stop before a man clad in a black suit stepped out. The man rolled out a red carpet and unloaded all of the tennis gear before others started to emerge from the bus. The man smiled at each passing person, who were dressed in matching white and purple uniforms. They were each handed their individual tennis bags with a rehearsed phrase: "Have a good practice, sir."

Seven players assembled before the gates of Rikkaidai, ready to go in and salvage what little reputation they had left. Except that they had to wait for their final and eighth player to emerge from the bus. Which took forever.

"Oi, Atobe! Hurry up!" Shishido shouted.

"Quiet plebian! You're ruining my grand entrance."

"Atobe," Shishido drawled. "There's no one out here to greet us, unlike at Hyotei. There's no one to impress because the seven of us already know you're an ass."

At that statement, Atobe walked out of the bus, looking utterly confused.

"Yukimura will have to answer for this. How dare he not assemble the entire school to greet one so marvelous as Ore-sama," Atobe said rather angrily. Though, it was hard to take the man seriously for many reasons.

"Atobe, it's just a friendly match as per our summer training regime. It's not like this is a tournament," Yuushi said, pushing up his glasses.

"That's still no excuse!" Atobe huffed.

There was a collective sigh between his teammates. Things never really did change.

-Just-

Another bus rolled in front of the gates of Rikkaidai, quite smaller than the first, and less luxurious. There was no place to store their tennis equipment under the bus, so the players emerged with their bags in their shoulders. They wore bright blue and white uniforms. Seigaku was stitched on the back of their jackets.

"This place is amazing!" a red-haired person shouted.

A chuckled followed that statement. "Eiji, we're not even on the inside yet," the voice was smooth and gentle, quite like Yukimura's. However, it came from a light-brown haired person with closed eyes.

"But it's still so cool! We've never been here before!"

That much was true. Rikkaidai rarely invited other schools to them. Partly due to distance, but mostly due to the fact that they didn't want to attract spies. Well, any more than they already had. SO it had come as a surprise that Rikkaidai had extended an invitation for a friendly match.

"Oh, so Seigaku is here too, ahn?" an arrogant, yet familiar voice said.

"Atobe," Tezuka greeted. "We didn't realize that Yukimura had invited you as well."

"A rather unfortunate detail," Atobe muttered. "I see your super rookie isn't present. Is he skipping practice today?"

Piercing blue eyes fixed themselves upon the arrogant captain of Hyotei. "Even if he isn't here, Atobe, you shouldn't think any less of us," Fuji said in a chilling voice.

"Fuji," Tezuka muttered.

It was an odd reaction from the tensai of the Seigaku tennis team.

-Just-

Yukimura warmed up on the tennis courts after instructing Ryoma where to sit in order to get the best view of their practice. The younger teen had sat down in silence, probably knowing the full extent of his injuries as well. He was happy until he heard loud arguments outside of their gates. He frowned over to Sanada, who stopped his practice in order to go check out the noise.

So far, only Yagyuu and Niou had showed up from the missing Regulars. Which meant that they were still missing Marui, Jackal, and Kirihara. But none of them would cause such a loud commotion outside of the school gates. Oh no, those types of arguments were usually held inside the courts.

"Ne, Yukimura," Ryoma called out to him. He looked at the tennis prodigy curiously. "You should keep your eye on the ball."

At that moment, something hit him in the gut hard. He had blinked for a moment before chuckling. The ball machine he was training on hadn't stopped, even though he had stopped swinging.

"You should come up with a better warning, Ryoma."

"It got your attention," the tennis prodigy replied.

He really couldn't argue with that. Although it would have been nice to know that he should have been paying attention to the ball instead of Ryoma. He chuckled again before returning the next ball to the left hand corner.

"Yukimura," Sanada said grimly. He walked over the ball machine and turned it off before glancing at his rather exasperated-looking vice-captain.

He made his way up the stairs to Sanada.

"Hyotei and Seigaku are here," the other whispered. And suddenly he understood why Sanada looked that way.

"That was supposed to be next week, wasn't it?"

"That's what I thought, but then I remembered that this was supposed to be a surprise visit."

Oh, how could he have forgotten that too? He glanced at Ryoma briefly.

"We can't turn them away. Give me a few minutes before sending them in."

He turned away and walked toward Ryoma quickly. He didn't know how the other was going to handle this.

"Ryoma," Yukimura said quietly, so hopefully the other players would mind their own business for once.

"Mm?"

"Your team and Hyotei are here." Golden eyes quickly glared at him. "I forgot I scheduled them to be here today. Do you want to go rest in the clubhouse?"

There was panic in Ryoma's eyes. It was obvious the boy was thinking fast in the situation. And he knew that there wouldn't be much time between now and when the others would come.

"No," Echizen said quietly. "They can come. I have to face them some time any way."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I'm not." That's what he had figured. "But I am not going to hide like a coward."

A typical Echizen response. It was hard to hear. Yukimura returned to the courts, trying to figure out how this was going to work. The plan had been there a couple of weeks ago, but a lot had changed in that amount of time. And there had been several things that had happen since then. Of course, the one person far less prepared for all of this than he was Ryoma.

The day was meant to be good for Ryoma, some time to get away from his team and his family. But now that had changed into one giant mess. How could he have forgotten all of this? He glanced at Ryoma. Their conversation from last night ran through his mind. Had Ryoma known about the invitation and that's why he had mentioned their going to Rikkaidai?

No. The shock that Ryoma had expressed at his words was more than enough to dispel that query. Though it was a coincidence to say the least. Hyotei and Seigaku made their way down to their courts. Atobe strutted in front of all of them, as if he was the most important person in the entire world.

_Typical._

The rest of them just filed in naturally, gladly letting Atobe look like a fool. Though a couple of them were too busy engaging in a heated argument to really pay much attention to their surroundings. Atobe and Tezuka stepped toward him.

"Yukimura," the both greeted at the same time.

"Thank you for joining us today," he said. "Your teams are welcome to warm up on the track and field before we get started. A few of our members will be joining you since they are _incredibly_ late."

He smiled at Kirihara, Jackal, and Marui, who had all tried to sneak past him. They froze at his words before biting out a string of curses.

It was fun to be captain sometimes.

-Just-

Ryoma watched as the others warmed up on the field. A person sat next to him, but he didn't tear his gaze from the track. He figured it was Yukimura, since the fragile-looking blue-haired person had disappeared from his sight.

"Echizen," came a deep voice, not the soft one he was expecting. He recognized it instantly.

"Tezuka-buchou," he muttered. "What do you want?"

"To talk."

"There's not much to talk about," he replied stubbornly.

"Yes, there is. Echizen, we're here for you," Tezuka said.

"You had your chance to prove that."

"You didn't want our help."

"You never even tried."

_To be continued…_


	8. Chapter Eight

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.**

**Lady Monozuki:** Kyaa! I was so excited to read everyone's reviews for the last chapter! I appreciate them all! And I look forward to reading the ones for this chapter. Which, this chapter was interesting to write. A little curveball at the end just to keep things interesting. Please don't kill me. But review instead? Take out your frustrations there? Enjoy!

"_You never even tried."_

Ryoma clenched his fists, trying to keep all of his emotions in control, but it was harder to do the longer that Tezuka was next to him. He wanted to tell his captain to leave him alone, but they had an appearance to keep up. Everyone except for his team, Sanada, and Yukimura had no idea what had happened.

"You never let us in, Echizen," Tezuka muttered.

He chuckled darkly. "Really? You're going to blame _me_? You weren't experiencing what I was. But even _you _should be able to understand that it's not something I want to openly discuss."

He glared at Tezuka.

"Even when we were alone, you never tr—"

"When we were alone?" he growled. "When the hell were we ever alone? You always dragged someone along so you would never have to deal with it alone. Do you know how many times I wanted to tell you? Not everyone else, but _you_?"

He watched the mask Tezuka wore slowly crumble as his words sank in. Keeping in his feelings before had been easy, but everything had changed between then and now.

_Yukimura._

The name echoed in his mind, ensnaring his thoughts. He had met Yukimura. And even though it had only been a couple of days, there was a small hope within him that maybe not everyone wanted to use him.

"Ryoma," Tezuka whispered, dropping all formalities. He shuddered at the way his name rolled off his captain's tongue. "I'm sorry."

"Just leave me alone," he said, hoping that his voice hadn't betrayed his true emotions. He stood up and walked carefully toward the clubhouse. He knew that he said he wouldn't hide. But being in Tezuka's presence again was a painful reminder of his weakness. Ryoma fought back the tears.

_Just wait until you reach the clubhouse._

He stumbled slightly; his ankle had given out on him. Though he had honestly expected it to, after the training session with his father yesterday. He fell toward the ground, gladly letting himself fall against the dirt.

"_There's your natural form, brat. Lying on the ground, letting people trample all over you because you're too weak to get to the top. No one is going to catch you if you fall in the tennis world. They don't give a damn about you. You're just a stepping stone to them."_

_He's right._

"Why does he always have to be right?" Ryoma whispered. He closed his eyes and waited to hit the hard surface. He didn't though. Instead, he felt himself being pulled up. Someone had caught him.

He glanced behind him with bleary eyes to see the blue-haired person who had been missing up until now.

"Are you okay?" Yukimura asked gently.

It was a simple question. But that one question meant the world to him. Ryoma couldn't hold back anymore.

He cried.

-Just-

Tezuka remained frozen on the bench long after Ryoma had left. He didn't even know where the other person had gone, he was wrapped up in replaying Echizen's words in his mind.

_I really messed up._

"Echizen doesn't seem ready to talk to us still," he heard from the right of him. The voice was unmistakable. He didn't move to acknowledge the tensai of their team.

"Aa," he answered.

The person chuckled softly. "I guess that's to be expected. What are we going to do now, Tezuka?"

"I don't know," he said. "I didn't expect him to react the way he did."

"Well, it's not really surprising, Tezuka."

"I suppose not."

_I shouldn't have let him deal with this alone._

-Just-

The air around the tennis courts was stifling. While it was perfectly normal for there to be the sense of competition bleeding from every person here, the normal tension had something more than that around it. It had started with Echizen arriving with Yukimura-buchou, Yanagi concluded. It had escalated with the arrival of Seigaku and Hyotei, though he expected that it was more directed toward Seigaku than the other school.

Next, he had observed the cold interaction between Tezuka and Echizen just a few moments ago. It had been so intriguing that he had dropped a few points against his opponent at the time, Inui. Equally, the usually ever-precise copy of himself had also dropped a few points. Particularly when Echizen had walked away from their captain. He noted, with mild interest, that the younger person had walked slowly and carefully with each step. There had also been a small, well-concealed limp.

The conclusion hadn't been hard to figure out that Echizen was suffering from an injury. Which explained why he had taken rest on the bench instead of warming up and playing with the rest of them. Then, there was the conversation between Tezuka and Fuji currently going on, distracting him from the game for a brief moment. It was as if the Seigaku tensai and captain had completely forgotten that they were supposed to be practicing since they had stopped everything just to chat. But the conversation wasn't a normal one, it seemed. And while he could not read lips, he could tell that they were talking about Echizen.

It seemed that no matter how many times he crunched the data in his data in his head, he could not ignore the common denominator factored down to Echizen. Who, Yanagi noted, had disappeared entirely from practice. As had Yukimura. Another piece of the equation that couldn't go ignored. He hit the ball across the net, returning slowly on instinct as he tried to figure out the various pieces in his mind.

His opponent shot a look in his direction. It seemed that Inui had noticed his distraction as well. He wanted to take the game seriously, but it was difficult with the interesting things happening at the training session. And since his best friend wasn't intent on informing him of the details, he had to figure it out on his own.

"You're distracted, Renji."

"So are you," he retorted. He had seen the same wary glances given toward Tezuka and Fuji, as well as the looks he tossed toward their clubhouse where Echizen had headed to.

"It's odd that Echizen arrived here without you," Yanagi commented casually. He wasn't going to mention that Echizen had arrived with Yukimura. Oh no, Inui would have to figure that one out on his own.

"Echizen wanted to get extra practice in," Inui replied.

It seemed like a perfectly natural thing for the super rookie to want to do. And if he hadn't observed everything that had happened recently, he would have believed his opponent. However, he knew that there was something deeper going on.

"Mm," he answered. "But isn't his house a little far from our school?"

"When Echizen wants to do something, there's no stopping him."

"I suppose that's true. He really can't be predicted at all," he muttered.

"No, he can't."

_This is going to be fun to decipher._

-Just-

Resting under the shade of his umbrella, set up especially for him, Atobe watched the interaction between the players on the field. Specifically, he watched the two that were near the benches, oblivious to the world around them. He took a sip of his iced beverage, carefully observing Tezuka and Fuji from his distance. His eyes focused on their lips, trying to read what they were saying. He frowned at his very poor ability to. It was frustrating to admit that he wasn't perfect at everything.

"You could just move your umbrella closer to them," a deep voice drawled. He didn't tear his gaze away from the two Seigaku powerhouses to greet Yuushi.

"Ore-sama would never do something so undignified as eavesdropping," he countered.

"And reading lips doesn't count?" Yuushi asked.

"No, because Ore-sama am not listening directly to the conversation," he rationalized. He heard a small chuckle from his friend.

"So you found it odd too." It was a statement, not a question. It meant that he wasn't imagining things. That there had been something odd happening with Seigaku.

"Something happened between them after Nationals."

"Or is this the first time we've noticed something odd?"

It was a question that he wasn't ready to consider. He didn't want to admit that he hadn't noticed something amiss with the team earlier. That would be embarrassing to admit—a huge blow to his pride. No. That wasn't even an option right now. This was simply a problem that only existed after Nationals.

At least, that's what he wanted to believe. His gut told him otherwise.

-Just-

"You're not going to earn his forgiveness if you don't talk to him," Fuji said. Tezuka knew it was true. However, everything he wanted to say came out differently than what he meant. He wasn't good at this. He sighed.

"I don't think that there's anything I can tell him that will change his mind."

"You haven't tried a different perspective though," Fuji argued. "You've been defensive about everything. Just admit that you screwed up and ask how you can help him now."

"I'm not the only one who screwed up," he muttered.

Fuji groaned. "See, that's exactly what you need to avoid. You're justifying your actions."

"It feels like that's all I can try to do around him."

"If you want to have any hope of salvaging what's left, then you're going to have to try."

He nodded. He knew. He knew that they all had their individual mistakes to atone for. He knew that there was no way to make up for everything that they did, _didn't_ do. It was going to be a long process.

_I hope he'll forgive me._

-Just-

Yukimura didn't know how long they had been sitting outside the clubhouse. Honestly, he didn't really care either. All he wanted to do was make sure that Ryoma was okay. The shorter teen had never expressed this kind of emotion to him, and he idly wondered what had happened to draw such an unexpected response from Ryoma. He didn't ask questions though. He simply let the younger teen hold on to him. He wasn't going anywhere. He wasn't going to mess this up.

_He needs someone he can rely on._

The tears eventually stopped, but the teen didn't make any motion to let him go. He was still holding on to the other tennis player from when he had caught Ryoma from falling. The only thing that had changed was the fact that they were sitting and Ryoma had buried his head in Yukimura's chest. He was content not to move until the other person wanted to.

"Yukimura," a broken whisper came from the small teen.

"Yes?" he answered, surprised that Ryoma had even spoken to him.

"I can't trust anyone," the teen whispered. He frowned, but didn't say anything. "Every time I get close to someone…they hurt me. I can't trust them anymore."

He felt his heart sink at those words. He wanted to be the one that Ryoma could trust, the one that could stand by him no matter what they would face. Through all the adversity, the hardships, the pain, he wanted to be there. He wanted to fill the void that Ryoma's supposed friends had failed to do.

"You can trust me," he whispered. "I don't want to hurt you. I want to help you."

"They said that too. I believed them! Like a fool!" Ryoma whispered angrily. "I thought that they would protect me, but I was wrong! They didn't give a damn about me. Especially Tezuka."

The last bit was added so softly, that he had barely caught it. He knew that it wasn't unfair of Ryoma to blame his teammates, but Ryoma really seemed to hate Tezuka. He wondered why. He had to know why. He was taking a huge risk by asking this question, but he could stop himself.

"What happened between you and Tezuka?"

He felt the other person stiffen in his arms. Yukimura wanted to smack himself for asking the question without thinking about the consequences of his actions.

"You don't have to answer, I—"

"If I tell you," Ryoma whispered, cutting him off effectively. He forgot how to breathe. "Will you promise not to tell anyone else?"

He hadn't been expecting that. He smiled softly. It was a small start. "I promise, Ryoma. I won't tell anyone else."

The smaller teen pulled away from him and looked at him for a moment. He waited patiently for the other to speak.

"Tezuka and I were dating."

_To be continued…_


	9. Chapter Nine

**I do not own Prince of Tennis or anything awesome.**

**Lady Darkness:** I do apologize for not updating in a long time. It was incredibly cruel to me. I thank each and every one of you for your support on this fic as I continue to write it. This chapter is a tad short but I hope that it isn't disappointing. I decided to release this a bit early because it's my birthday and I figured I'd update at least one story. Again, thank you so much for your support, enjoy.**  
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"_Tezuka and I were dating."_

Yukimura felt his heart clench at those haunting words. Nothing made sense but did at the same time. Now he understood why Ryoma was desperate to get away from his team, especially the captain. Bad memories trailed the teen prodigy wherever he went it seemed. Everyone had turned a blind eye to what was happening, but most importantly the people who should have cared the most. He quelled the silent rage inside of him. Distracted was not a state he could afford right now. This wasn't about him and his personal vendettas.

"You don't have to see him again. I'll make sure he doesn't bother you," Yukimura promised softly.

"Thanks," the younger teen muttered. "I'll rest in the clubroom. You should get back to practice."

Ryoma pushed away from him forcefully. H didn't want to leave Echizen alone but he had responsibilities to fulfill. A technicality he wished would disappear for the moment. Even if Gen was a capable vice-captain, he knew the sharper members in the group would not excuse his absence–not without questions at least.

"Are you going to stay until the end of practice?" he asked, wanting some assurance that this wasn't an excuse to return home without his knowledge. Ryoma froze in his sluggish movements. "I'll walk you home. I doubt you can get far alone."

"You're not going to force me to come back?" Ryoma asked.

"You don't want to come back," Yukimura stated simply. "You have your reasons for returning home that I can't understand. However, I can't force you to come back to a place you don't want to be. Even if I am feeding you to the lion, I will not force you to stay at my place."

"I'll stay through practice then," Ryoma replied.

Yukimura smiled before watching the tennis prodigy walk away. "Just don't forget you will always be welcome to stay with me," he said softly.

-Just-

Tezuka knew something was on Yukimura's mind when the captain of Rikkai Dai brushed past him coldly, ignoring his attempt at a friendly greeting. However, he didn't press the man rumoured to be as sadistic as Fuji. Dealing with one sadist was nightmarish enough. Having a vague idea as to why he was received so rudely, he didn't let the unresponsiveness affect him. All he wanted was a chance to explain. He noted, after the lack of welcome, his team went off to vent their frustrations about the blue-haired captain on the court. Fuji had stalked off in a different direction–as question as to where was better left unanswered in his opinion. The less he knew, the more ignorance he could plea.

Instead, he mulled over a plan to regain contact with his boyfriend. If there was any hope to salvage what was left, then he would have to befriend his rival. A task easier said than done.

"Tezuka," a deep voice called to him. He turned to face Sanada, the fearsome man he faced a short while ago in the finals. His attention was more than enough invitation for the other stoic to continue. "Play a match with him."

He understood the unspoken meaning behind the simple words. "Understood."

With their own agendas, they stalked off to the first available courts for what would be perceived as a rematch. That's what he'd let his team think at least.

-Just-

Fuji wasn't as dumb as Tezuka. He knew that if no ground work was laid, there would be no chance of reconciliation with Ryoma. And Fuji wasn't going to let his cute adopted little brother pull away when he needed the most help. He had casually observed Yukimura's movements, figuring out where Echizen might be and where he could try looking first. His honed observation skills had its usefulness outside the courts. A tingling sensation put an extra spring in his step. Simply put, he felt devilish for abandoning practice. He knew that Tezuka would scold him later but the opportunity was too good to pass up. He couldn't leave it in Tezuka's idiotic hands.

Spotting a building nearby, he made his way toward it. The shape didn't differ much from their own clubhouse, so he felt safe to assume this is where the scary monsters of Rikkai Dai rested after their grueling practices. He entered the silent building without any issue. If he was right, then Ryoma would be sleeping on the benches or on top of stacks of clean towels. Sure enough, he found the tennis prodigy sleeping on one of the benches. Fuji noted that tears streaked the younger's face.

_If Tezuka saw this, things would be a lot easier_.

Then again, if Tezuka had done a lot of things, they could have avoided this situation entirely. He had tried to warn his best friend of the consequences of treating Echizen in this fashion, and now look where they had ended up. It was up to him to play matchmaker between the freshman prodigy and the inept captain. He smirked. He liked seemingly hopeless tasks.

As he stepped closer, the younger teen stirred and opened his eyes.

"Fuji," Ryoma muttered airily. He chuckled, amused at how Ryoma had said his name instinctively before actually becoming aware of his surroundings. Fuji had often been in charge of waking up the younger teen if he fell asleep, but that was mostly because Echizen had developed sensitivity to his presence. Of course, that didn't mean Echizen hadn't preferred to be woken up by another person but Tezuka hadn't wanted to expose their quiet relationship. Fuji was never fooled from the beginning and kept quiet knowing that neither of them cared to expose their relationship. Not that he didn't exploit their secret to his advantage though, but he would never cross certain lines–no matter what was thought of him.

"Fuji!" Ryoma repeated, this time more awake. The teen sat up quickly and took in the unfamiliar surroundings. "How'd you find your way here?"

"Saa," he replied, hiding behind his smile to let the equally observant teen figure out the meaning behind his statement.

"What do you want?" Echizen asked angrily. "Come to justify Tezuka's actions?"

"No," Fuji answered. He watched as Ryoma was thrown by his blunt reply.

-Just-

Sanada easily returned the slice serve Tezuka began with, doubling the weight behind the ball in a single stroke. His rival returned the ball with ease, adding a spin to the ball. He knew what the teen was up to and didn't plan on allowing him to set up his move.

"You have something on your mind, Sanada."

"So do you. Your shots aren't as subtle as they usually are."

"What do you want to talk about?" Tezuka asked.

"It's about Echizen. You?"

"Yukimura."

They continued their rally for a few moments, trying to determine who went first by who scored the first point. The ball sank on his side and rolled back toward the net. He had fallen for Tezuka's trap.

"Yudan sezu ni ikkou."

"What do you want to ask about Yukimura?"

-Just-

Yukimura observed the performances of his teammates, assessing their weaknesses against other players. He tried to ignore the warnings going off in his mind. Someone was missing from the courts, but he couldn't figure out who at the moment. Currently, he was watching the match between Tezuka and Sanada, trying to figure out the sloppy movements in Gen's playing style. This wasn't his usual precision. He would chalk up the laziness to a practice match but he had the feeling this wasn't about the match.

"This pales to their original match, no?" a haughty voice spoke next to him. He smiled at the man to his right.

"Atobe-san, I thought you had made a permanent home underneath your oversized parasol," he commented dryly.

"My skills are perfect. There is no need to refine them further."

"Yet you lost to Echizen and only won against Tezuka because you destroyed his shoulder."

He enjoyed watching the arrogant diva bustle under his words.

"Ore-sama will make you eat your words. Have a match against me."

Yukimura originally had no intention of playing that day. However, with all the tension in the court, it was not such a bad idea.

"Don't cry when you lose."

-Just-

"Come to watch in amusement then as I lose it over something so stupid?"

He frowned. Now he wasn't amused. Fuji would _never_ be amused over something so serious. "Don't mistake who I pretend to be for who I really am," he bit out. "You should know that I'm not like that."

A long silence elapsed between them. Perhaps he should not have been so harsh, it was not his intent.

"I don't get it, Fuji." He faced the teen, who changed demeanors suddenly. This wasn't the Echizen he knew. This was partly their faults. "Why do you care now?"

"I've always cared, Echizen. I didn't want to get in you and Tezuka's way."

"But it happened anyway," Ryoma muttered bitterly.

_To be continued…_


End file.
